Following a solid regular season that saw the team finish with the third best record in the Canada West, the No. 7 UBC Thunderbirds open up their postseason run with a home quarter-final Sunday, October 28th at Thunderbird Stadium.

Finishing second in the Pacific Division, the T-Birds (10-3-1) await their opponent from Friday's play-in game between the Manitoba Bisons and the UNBC Timberwolves, played at UBC.

View this post on Instagram

Quarter Final this Sunday at Thunderbird Stadium!!! Come out and support us in our first round of playoffs ?????????? #GoBirds

A post shared by UBC Women's Soccer (@ubcwsoccer) on Oct 25, 2018 at 9:57pm PDT

The T-Birds haven't faced the Bisons since last year's Canada West play-in where UBC earned a 3-1 victory, replicating a result from the regular season where the 'Birds downed Manitoba 4-1. In fact, UBC carries an eight-game winning streak over the Bisons through both regular season and playoffs dating back to the 2011-12 season.

As for the Timberwolves, the 'Birds have never lost to their northern foes with a 7-0-1 all-time record including a 7-0 win in Prince George at the end of September.

A win on Sunday would give the 'Birds a berth in the Canada West championship tournament for the fourth consecutive season as they aim for a return to the U SPORTS national championship. Kickoff Sunday afternoon is set for 12:00 p.m. PT.

Last Action

UBC snapped a seven-game win streak in the final weekend of regular season play with a 2-1 loss at home to Trinity Western followed by a 2-2 tie with Fraser Valley.


 

By the Numbers

12 – UBC allowed just 12 goals against in the regular season, an average of 0.86, the lowest in the Pacific Division. The T-Birds' goalkeeping duo of Emily Moore and Sarah Johns combined for seven total shutouts, also tops in the division.  

2.64 – The T-Birds' 2.64 goals per game through the regular season is the exact same total of 37 from 2017, good for second in the conference. 
 

Players to Watch

Danielle Steer (#17, F) – With two more goals last weekend, Steer finished the regular season with a Canada West best 10 while tying the overall points lead with 20 which also ties her for the single season all-time conference record which was set last year by Jasmin Dhanda.



Michelle Jang (#13, F) – With 11 points on the season, the Calgary native led all Canada West rookies in scoring. Her eight goals were not only good for second on the 'Birds behind only Steer, but tied for fourth overall in the conference.
 

Coach's Take

Starting the postseason at home is such a big advantage in a number of ways, not the least of which is the ability to stay more rested which should allow the 'Birds to play at a high tempo come Sunday.

"As a team we've really focussed on a 90 minute performance, start strong, creating a high tempo, trusting that by the end of the game we can keep that high tempo," said UBC head coach Jesse Symons who's preparing for a tough battle regardless of their opponent. "Any team in Canada West can show they can compete and beat anybody. We have to be ready for either team, they're both very well coached and structured."



While Danielle Steer garnered plenty of headlines and attention throughout the season, the T-Birds have shown they have a deep attack which they will hope to exploit once again.

"Overall we have 27 other goals in our team and we've really shown that we don't just score with one player but we're dynamic in that way and difficult to stop," added Symons. "We've also had a lot of support from midfield and from set pieces, we're in a good spot and hopefully because of that we continue to be a tough team to stop."